With funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Washington Research Foundation, the Mary Gates Endowment, and other sources, FHL is pleased to offer paid research training opportunities for undergraduates and postbaccalaureates. The program's parameters
Intensive
research training experience, 15 undergraduate credits from
University of Washington.
$3000 in
support provided by FHL to each research apprentice enrolled in a 15-credit apprenticeship at Friday Harbor Labs.
($1200 in support provided to students enrolled in the 6-credit
Marine Benthic Ecology apprenticeship, offered in conjunction with the Spring ZooBot Quarter, described below.) FHL support will be provided only
to apprentices living in the FHL dorms.
Live and
work at Friday Harbor Laboratories, world-renowned marine science research
facility on 484-acre biological preserve, San Juan Island, Washington (75
miles northwest of Seattle).
Excellent
student/faculty ratio: Each team of 5-12 students led by 1-2 faculty mentors
plus 1-2 RAs (grad students or post-docs).
Intensive, full-time research training experiences are offered to qualified undergraduates and post-baccalaureates in Spring and Autumn quarters. One to four teams of 5-12 students each work on one focused research problem guided by a group of faculty, postdoctoral and graduate student mentors. Students selected for participation receive financial support ($3000) to defray costs of tuition, room and board at FHL.
Students will be registered for 15 credits. Students should consult with their advisor prior to registration.
"This award recognizes a program that gives University of Washington undergraduates a research experience of unique intensity, focus and independence. The Friday Harbor formula - three months at a superb marine biology field station, small research teams, dedicated faculty mentors - changes students' lives and launches careers in research."
Applications are welcome from undergraduates or post-baccalaureates from any academic institution. Applicants do not need to be currently enrolled at the University of Washington or at any other university or college. See Application Information for further details.
In a survey of all past Research Apprentices, 94% rated the value of the program to their career as "Excellent" or "Very Good."
"These apprenticeship courses are fantastic. They allow the student to actually participate in scientific research and show us the way to learn more than we had thought possible in one quarter."
"I would not trade the experience for anything. It changed how I view science completely."
"I learned how to collaborate with a group and work independently, gained experience in various scientific techniques and wrote my first scientific paper."
"I am so glad I had the opportunity to come here, it is the highlight of my year and something I never could have imagined beforehand. I feel privileged to have studied here."
"This is an ideal place to study, live and research."
"A wonderful and inspirational introduction to research!"
"It was an incredible experience ... It gave me the passion to stick with biology - the real work is not out of a textbook and my time at FHL really made that clear."
"I really can do independent research!"
"With the small class size I was able to interact with the professors and RAs at a level I've never known before."
"Just an absolutely amazing experience - and fun!"
"Great facilities, nice community, beautiful location, all the equipment!"
"The community at FHL has been a wonderful part of this experience. Living with people who love science and come to science with different backgrounds and perspectives has been wonderful. I have never been involved in a course I have loved so much and in which I have learned so much."
"It was great to have so much personal attention in this small group ... Gained great experience in giving presentations and presenting scientific papers ... I am proud of what I have learned and achieved."
"I consider my experience at FHL to be the most valuable of my academic career."
Co-registration is required in the Marine Zoology / Marine Botany courses at Friday Harbor Labs, as part of the "ZooBot Quarter" at FHL. Click here to learn more about the ZooBot quarter.
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 31 - June 7, 2008 - 10 weeks
Biology 499 (6 credits)
Co-registration in Biology 430 (5 credits) and Biology 445 (5 credits) is required, for a total of 16 credits.
Dr. Kevin Britton-Simmons
UW - Friday Harbor Laboratories
Dr. Megan Dethier
Department of Biology - University of Washington
The Marine Benthic Ecology (MBE) apprenticeship is designed to accompany the Marine Zoology and Marine Botany courses. MBE apprentices will receive a stipend of $1200, not $3000.
Meeting times: All quarter, integrated with Biol 430 and Biol 445; 5 days a week, all day, plus Saturday mornings.
This apprenticeship will take a broad approach to the study of the ecology
of intertidal organisms. Apprentices will learn basic marine ecological principles
through lectures and readings, receive a primer in ecological sampling design
and statistics, and study the natural history of shoreline organisms on field
trips. Each student will select an independent research topic to perform in
the field, laboratory, or both; examples include interactions between introduced
seaweeds and native herbivores, the adaptive significance of morphological
variation in marine invertebrates, variation in rates of recruitment of juvenile
clams onto beaches. The apprenticeship will be integrated with the Marine Zoology/Botany
program; students must register for all three. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
Learning Objectives and Skills
At the end of this apprenticeship (and the two concurrent integrated biology
courses), apprentices will be able to:
Enrollment limited to 15 students. Co-registration in Marine Zoology / Marine Botany is required.
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
For additional information contact: mdethier@u.washington.edu
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 31 - June 7, 2008 - 10 weeks
Biology 499 (15 credits) (15 credits)
Dr. Leonid Moroz
Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida
Dr. Andreas Heyland
Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida
Nervous systems are some of the most complex machines in our universe. The
myriad of
signaling mechanisms within nerve cells, the billions of nerve cells and trillions
of connection (most
of them are unique) are truly wonders of enormous proportions. Yet extant nervous
systems are
the way they are because they have been molded by millions of years of evolution.
Thus, excluding evolution from modern training programs in the neurosciences
removes the opportunity to fully understand the modern manifestations of nervous
systems by tracking the lineages and constraints that have molded them. Indeed,
it is arguable that we can only fully understand the complexity of nervous
systems if we examine them, their components, signaling pathways and properties
from an evolutionary perspective. This program, the first of its kind in the
US, will confront this significant deficiency in graduate/undergraduate neuroscience
training and will do so in the framework of an integrated program that encompasses
evolution, genomics, proteomics, neuroscience, ands bioinformatics. It will
provide the students with the technical and intellectual tools with which to
capitalize both on the enormous diversity of animal lineages
and species available at FHL and on wealth of information that studies of nervous
system evolution can provide, thereby positioning them to make major inroads
into our understanding of the complexity and functionality of nervous systems.
It will also provide students with the experimental advantages of simple nervous
systems for technology development.
Modern bioanalytical tools will be used to identify signal molecules (at the single-cell resolution) in variety of marine organisms with key positions in the evolutionary tree of life. Indeed, nervous systems of animals are diverse and their organization and function reflect unique adaptations of an organism to its environment. Chemical messengers used to pattern the developing nervous system are recruited for nervous system function in the adult. While such signal molecules and related molecular markers have been well characterized in model organisms, i.e. Drosophila and C. elegans, little information exists about the specific signaling molecules patterning the nervous system in many marine invertebrate species. For some lineages such as ctenophores, sponges, placozoa and even many bilaterian phyla such information does not exist at all. Therefore, our training projects will be perfectly overlap with key research questions to fill numerous gaps in our understanding the diversity and evolution of signal molecules and development of integrative systems in animals.
In fact, the emerging fields of single cell genomics and microanalysis (areas
of expertise of the Moroz lab) as well as novel technologies for imaging of
complex molecular machinery in living cells call for urgent changes in education
with an integration of different disciplines under the unified training program.
Thus, interdisciplinary approaches will be the leading philosophy
of the course.
Enrollment limited to 8 students.
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
For additional information contact moroz@whitney.ufl.edu
Beam Reach Program: Marine Science and Sustainability School. This program will convene at UW-Friday Harbor Laboratories in spring and autumn quarters in 2008. They are separate programs which are not Research apprenticeships.
Beam Reach is an intensive 10-week-long "voyage" divided about equally between the Friday Harbor Labs and a sailing research vessel. Students conduct independent research projects that use bioacoustic techniques to explore endangered killer whales, their prey, and their environment. Our silent biodiesel-electric catamaran enables pioneering research and also offers adventure, collaborative and leadership training, sustainable technology demonstrations, and increased environmental awareness. Drs. Val Veirs, Dr. Jason Wood, and Eric Eisenhardt.
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 31 - June 7, 2008 - 10 weeks
Oceanography 499 (15 credits)
Dr. Andrea Ogston
University of Washington - School of Oceanography
Dr. Charles Nittrouer
University of Washington - School of Oceanography
Many rivers enter into the Puget Sound area, and the sediment brought to the marine environment creates a wide variety of seabed morphologies, which form the habitat for benthic biology. Dam removal projects are becoming increasingly popular to restore habitat of depleted fisheries and river ecosystems, and to add to the recreational opportunities on the nation's rivers. For many of these dams, the negative impacts of the dam on the river and riverside communities outweigh the benefits of the dam. But we do not yet understand the full range of effects our “restoration” will have. One of these effects is the added sediment discharge in high quantities during dam removal. In many areas, this sediment can be considered a benefit, as it is projected to add to the littoral system. Yet little of the decision-making is made with understanding of the processes that exist near the mouths of rivers and the impacts that have occurred to those systems as the dams have starved them of sediment supply. Without understanding of the nearshore sedimentary systems, over-seeing agencies will not be able to make informed policies and recommendations on the impacts of dam removal projects to the marine environment.
UW-FHL is an ideal location for this research apprenticeship because of the impending dam-removal project in the nearby Elwha River. The proximity of FHL to the Elwha River will make it possible to conduct a research cruise to the marine environment near the river mouth. In addition, FHL provides facilities to illustrate sediment transport concepts (e.g., racetrack flume) and to perform individualized studies tailored to student interests. The lab is uniquely situated such that field trips to a variety of sedimentary environments (e.g., tidal flats to the Fraser River delta) can be taken on a weekly basis. These environments provide students an experiential learning environment in which they will gain understanding of the range of sedimentary processes that occur near river mouths. Understanding the processes in different settings and under differing environmental conditions allow scientists to predict hazardous material transport, shoreline erosion and deposition, and change in seabed habitats due to dam installation and removal. The apprentices to be recruited for this course will potentially become the scientists and managers in charge of decision-making in future projects.
Enrollment limited to 8 students.
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
For additional information contact ogston@ocean.washington.edu
Promotional Brochure (208K pdf).
Autumn Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
September 22 - December 6, 2008 - 11 weeks
Ocean 492
(15 credits)
Dr. Jan Newton
University of Washington
Breck Tyler
University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. Sandra Parker-Stetter
University of Washington
The primary research objective of this course is to investigate the physical-biological coupling of oceanographic processes and biota in the San Juan Archipelago. This work is timely and important for several reasons:
In order to understand the functioning of the Basin's complex ecosystem, it is essential to determine which processes are predominant in shaping the physical environment. These will also determine directly the habitat available for prey and predator species. If these elements can be linked, it will be possible in the future to assess the status of regional biota by means of remote observing systems.
The primary educational goals of this course are to have apprentices examine the workings of a marine ecosystem from top to bottom in order to understand how coupling with oceanographic processes leads to spatial and temporal variation in biotic patterning. We used the natural laboratory of the waters adjacent to San Juan Island to begin to explore the mechanisms responsible for variability in the region. We will focus on two study sites in San Juan Channel, one in the dynamic outer Channel (near Cattle Pass) and the other in the broad inner Channel (northern end). Specifically, apprentices will be asked to:
Enrollment limited to 12 apprentices.
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
For additional information contact: newton@apl.washington.edu
Autumn Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
September 22 - December 6, 2008 - 11 weeks
Biology 499 (15 credits)
Dr. Lindsey Leighton
San Diego State University
Predation research, particularly in marine systems, has grown in importance as the role of predation in ecosystem health and biodiversity has become increasingly recognized. A considerable body of research has identified “top-down” ecosystems, in which the top predators are critical to the stability and resilience of the given ecosystem, even when faced with rapid or severe changes to the physical environment. Nonetheless, assessing and measuring predation among different communities in a meaningful way has remained relatively difficult. Although desirable, direct observation of marine predation in the field is obviously logistically challenging. Caging and tethering experiments have proven invaluable, but have potential “caging” biases, and would often be difficult to conduct at multiple localities from diverse habitats while using the same experimental protocols. Thus, predation is often measured either in terms of predator diversity, predator abundance, or predator function (e.g. crushing strength of the predator etc.). Although these variables are useful at broad spatial scales (for example, tropical predators are more diverse, more specialized, and generally stronger than temperate counterparts from the same clades), it has never been clearly established that these variables retain their value when comparing between communities. How can we assess if predation intensity is greater in one locality/environment than in another?
This research apprenticeship will focus on the use and analysis of direct traces of predatory activity, such as drill-holes and crushing scars, with the intention of testing whether and how such traces are useful proxies for predation intensity (mortality owing to predation) among environments. Predation trace data from prey will be collected and compared to data from direct field observations and laboratory experiments performed at Friday Harbor. The apprentice experience will:
1) expose apprentices to a diverse array of marine predators and prey, as well as traces of predation on the prey;
2) teach, and enable students to apply, fundamental concepts of predation theory;
3) enable apprentices to explore cutting-edge ideas and hypotheses related to predation;
4) develop and implement apprentice research projects in the field and laboratory, allowing apprentices to take part in the research process from start to finish;
5) expose apprentices to equipment, software, and techniques suitable for use in analysis of predation and ecology in general;
6) aim to produce multiple publications including apprentices as authors.
Enrollment limited to 12 apprentices.
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
For additional information contact: leighton@geology.sdsu.edu
Beam Reach Program: Marine Science and Sustainability School. This program will convene at UW-Friday Harbor Laboratories in spring and autumn quarters in 2008. They are separate programs which are not Research apprenticeships.
Beam Reach is an intensive 10-week-long "voyage" divided about equally between the Friday Harbor Labs and a sailing research vessel. Students conduct independent research projects that use bioacoustic techniques to explore endangered killer whales, their prey, and their environment. Our silent biodiesel-electric catamaran enables pioneering research and also offers adventure, collaborative and leadership training, sustainable technology demonstrations, and increased environmental awareness. Drs. Val Veirs, Dr. Jason Wood, and Eric Eisenhardt.
"Our lives were immersed in science, meal times were filled with discussion about the day's results and new experiments in progress. Students from across the country joined us for brief periods, all with unique and interesting subjects of study."
"If you apply yourself, your time at FHL will be filled with a period of intense growth and development as well as advancement of your skills as a scientist. Working in the tight knit community will redefine your understanding of a team concept and open your eyes to the potential that a focused group with a singular goal can have.''
Many answers to questions about the Research Apprenticeship program can be found in the general FAQs and student FAQs. The following information refers specifically to the Research Apprenticeship program.
How is the financial support disbursed?
Each apprentice living on the FHL campus and participating in a 15-credit apprenticeship receives $3000 in support to help
defray their expenses for room & board at FHL and tuition.
NOTE: Research Apprentices do not need to request financial aid in order to receive the support awarded to all FHL Apprentices. Students may submit a request for financial aid if additional support is needed, but these awards are restricted to exceptional cases.
What are the expenses?
Spring Quarter Apprentices' Costs
Spring Quarter Zoobot Students' Costs
Autumn Quarter Apprentices' Cost
When are Research Apprenticeships offered?
Research apprenticeships are offered only in spring and autumn quarters -- not in summer.
How can I get UW transcripts?
Follow instructions provided at the following University of Washington web site: http://washington.edu/students/reg/transcripts.html#Q1
How can I learn more about the apprenticeship program?
For additional information, please contact FHL Student Coordinator, Stacy Markman at
fhladmin@u.washington.edu or (206) 616-0753.
Application instructions >>
Review an article about the apprenticeship program.
2007 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2006 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2005 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2004 Apprenticeship descriptions.
General Information